I almost forgot to say: Bobo912 & marcemch, you will love, love, LOVE Yosemite! It's an incredible place. One of the most fabulous places I've ever been, and I've been to a few fabulous places! A definite must-see!
Sayhello, thanks for the comment. I've never been to Yosemite and I've really been wanting to go since I watched the Ken Burn's National Parks documentary on PBS and I was very glad when DS brought it up a couple of weeks ago with no prompting from me. But I also want to travel out of the country and visit some place that is totally different than anywhere else I've ever been, and although I haven't been to Yosemite, I have been to San Francisco, so the Northern CA trip wouldn't be totally new. So I have a very, very small misgiving about going on this trip and it helps to hear a hearty recommendation. I'm also pretty excited about not having to pay the hefty international airfare. I think at least one of us will be able to fly free on Southwest by next summer. Then I can take the money we save and put it aside to help pay for the 2011 vacation.